Video - 1980 Audi 5000 Diesel

1980 Audi 5000 Diesel

This was definitely the most unique and interesting car I've owned. Audi didn't sell very many diesel cars in the USA, although they have just recently introduced an SUV with a new high-tech direct-injection diesel. For the 5000, Audi basically took the 4-cylinder diesel that VW was using and added one extra cylinder, to make it a 5-cylinder diesel. (Volvo took it one step further and turned the same basic VW engine block into a 6-cylinder diesel, for their 240 and 740 series cars.) This car looked absolutely beautiful and had excellent ride and handling, but it had some mechanical problems, as I note in the video. The Mercedes 240D I had before it was the opposite: it had badly faded paint and lots of rust, but its engine purred like a kitten and was actually quite peppy with its 4-speed manual (yes, a stick-shift Mercedes!). In the end, I sold the Audi and got another Mercedes, this time a 1985 300D with the awesome 3.0L 5-cylinder turbo diesel. My current diesel car is a 1997 VW Passat TDI, which has been featured in several of my videos.

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Model

• Audi

Videos

• Audi 5000